Stuart Dybek: We knew he was a genius all along

Author and poet Stuart Dybek expected the worst when the voice on the phone suggested he sit down.

"Oh my God," Dybek said, bracing for impact.

"No, no. It's a good thing," the voice said, informing Dybek that he was a 2007 MacArthur Fellow, to receive a so-called "genius" grant of $500,000, over five years.

"I think 'stunned' is not too strong a word to use. It came so out of the blue," said Pilsen native Dybek, 65. "They do this stuff with such perfect stealth. Nobody tells you that you're being considered."

Dybek, celebrated author of "I Sailed With Magellan" and "The Coast of Chicago," has been praised for his mastery of the short story form and his lyrical, wandering tales of neighborhood life. Dybek has won numerous O. Henry Prizes and, in 1981, was named a Guggenheim fellow. He also contributed a poem to Tempo's Unauthorized Loop series. In 2004, "The Coast of Chicago" was chosen for the city's "One Book, One Chicago" reading program.

"I haven't really quite digested it," said Dybek of the award from Chicago's John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Dybek serves as Distinguished Writer in Residence in Northwestern University's English department. This is the second consecutive year that an NU educator has won the award; social psychologist Jennifer Richeson was named last year.

Currently, Dybek splits his time between Evanston and a home in Michigan.

Other past Chicago winners include playwright Mary Zimmerman and novelist Aleksandar Hemon, both writers Dybek holds in high esteem. "It's nice to be in their company," he said.

Dybek will use the money to "buy time" and finish a few books.

"For me, it couldn't have been more fortuitous, more serendipitous," Dybek said. "For the last 10 years, I've been working on three different manuscripts ... and it's getting kind of crowded in my head. It's like walking around pregnant all the time. Nevermind the pains of childbirth, you just want to get it over with so you can resume your human shape."